In eight parishes around Delhi, people are counting on sweet potatoes to restore their incomes. Delhi, Louisiana, that is. There, a new facility will transform locally grown sweet potatoes into sweet potato fries. One of the first plants to be built from the ground up using the industry’s latest technologies for processing and packing, the facility will also boast LEED standards for environmentally sustainable construction. But to the local residents, the economic opportunities resonate more strongly. Louisiana State University calculates that over the next two decades the Delhi facility should generate $19 million in local tax revenue with an additional $70 million in Louisiana state tax revenue. More importantly, it provides area residents a place to work- not only in the 275 direct jobs the facility has already created, but also in the 1,400-1,700 indirect jobs it generated. Those employment opportunities mean livelihoods, dignity and a chance to stay in the parishes they call home. Sweet.